Protege's of Minerva
by v-interlude
Summary: Ino-Shika-Cho is a no-go this generation around. What does it exactly mean to be a shinobi? Sakura, Shikamaru, and Shino possess the brightest minds that conjure no answer. Until they are assigned to be together on a team that is. Pairings will become more noticeable as the story progresses.
1. Future

_Disclaimer:_

 _I do not own Naruto nor the characters mentioned in the story. No matter how much I may love them. Lol_

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 _ **I.**_

 _ **Future**_

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"Lord Hokage! Please state the meaning of this!" The man who barged in to the office unannounced, Shikaku Nara, was shocked by the news that had reached his ears earlier that morning. Needing to escape the meanderings of his wife, he decided to head to the tea shop to soothe the slow-coming headache that came from her banshee-like yells that morning. While eavesdropping on the commotion of his neighboring table, he discovered that the conversation between the jonin in the shop pertained to the academy graduates and who they were assigned to be led by. He knew of the meeting that day but certainly not of the information he had overheard. It was through his intrusion into their discussion that he had learned of the end of the Ino-Shika-Cho triad that was long heralded in Konoha's history. "Why go back on traditions now, Lord Hokage?" He stood disgruntled behind the leader of his nation. He could not help but to stare at the robe that was draped across the Hokage's back, which ruffled with the scent of tobacco when the chilling breeze of the fall flew through the opening of the office's window. Sweat built at his fore brow as he pondered on how well his son could fair as a genin without the assistance from the heirs of the Yamanaka and the Akimichi clan. His internal dispute was halted suddenly at the sound of the Hokage's gravel-like chuckle. He looked up to see a smile with eyes that embodied the wisdom and experience that any shinobi who had lived long enough to see the age of the revered man would possess. Before he could question as to what was so damn funny at the moment, his intrigue was satiated.

"I guess the cat is out of the bag. Before you offer out a hand of reasoning, I would request that you hear me out." With the wisps of smokes following, the Third Hokage took to walking towards the chair that sat behind his desk. "The teams that I have chosen aren't based off of the past dynamics. Yes, I agree that some of the teams that we had assigned in the past turned out to be legacies that display the strength that the village radiates. However," he took an inhale from his tobacco pipe before folding his hands underneath his chi, "those results turned out to be somewhat counterproductive in the long haul for those of us who have lived long enough to see it. I understand that the teamwork between the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi, have been praised since the early beginnings of the village. I simply wish for the youth of today to make their own path to leave their impact upon. There's a need for change from us old relics and if we continue imprinting the past upon our futures, how are we to ever see the chances of a new and improved beginning?"

"They can still be individuals in their own right. I completely understand your reasons for the choice. Yet, that gives no jurisdiction as to why you would go ahead and change a perfectly good momentum that has been going on for decades." Shikaku could not but help to have the seeds of doubt that the Hokage had no idea as to what his methods entailed.

"I apologize for not telling you in advance, Shikaku. But, my decision is final. Out of that miniscule positive, I can only see the countless amount of negatives that 'tradition' has constantly repeated. I wish to break that chain and leave behind the steel for the ninjas of tomorrow to sanctify." The finality in the Hokage's tone left the facially scarred jonin awestruck. When the foot had been put down, there was no way that even he could be the one to lift it up.

"Of course, sir." Shikaku bowed in respect and turned towards the door prepared to exit the futile argument. Three steps were made before he paused on his stride. He turned back and asked what had suddenly plagued his mind. "Could I at least be informed as to those who he will be teamed with? Including, his sensei?"

As a response, the Hokage smirked and opened his lips to tell of those who would join the son of the Nara clan head: Shikamaru Nara.

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"… _Sakura?"_

 _A girl with vibrant pink hair and gorgeous green eyes looked up at the call of her name. Her tongue ceased attacking the sugary chocolate sweet that with every contact contrasted with a chill against the heated muscle. She donned a light yellow dress with green ribbons sewn onto the bottom rim. Her curiosity had been peaked during her administrations by her blonde headed friend._

" _What is it, Ino?"_

 _Ino wore a glittery purple spaghetti tank-top with grey shorts. Her feet rocked back and forth as her blue eyes looked up to the sky that resembled her pupils. She seemed to be struggling to say whatever was obviously on her mind to her oblivious friend. The vanilla ice-cream cone she held was held aside. Before Sakura could prod once again, Ino took to finally saying what had been on her mind._

" _Do you… Do you have a crush on Sasuke?" While Ino sat more deeply in her unrest after confessing to what she had conjured up in her mind, Sakura sat at a loss to why the question was so hard to answer. She could admit that the boy Ino had mentioned was cute, but nothing more nor less._

" _No." A silence rang after Sakura's response to the question. The two girls sat with their backs on the bench and their words circulating through the others mind._

"… _You're lying!" Sakura was taken aback by the viciousness that overtook her best friend's voice._

" _Wh-what?"_

" _You're lying! You have to be! No one can resist Sasuke! Not even you, forehead!" Taken aback by that response, Sakura's face flashed with the hurt. To call her a name that only reminded her of a period where she felt nothing but despair at the idea of her person was a slap to the face._

" _If I liked him, I would have told you! What's your problem?"_

" _No! You wanna know why?! Because it would make it just that much easier for you to sink your teeth where they don't belong!"_

" _Ino!"_

" _Even if you don't like him now, what's stopping you?!" A wind combed through the scalps of the equally heated girls. Suddenly, Ino rose out of her seat and smashed the treat in her hand on top of Sakura's head. Tensions invaded the air and the two of them as tears trailed down Sakura's plump cheeks. As Ino walked away, Sakura's throat was constrained with the countless amount of professions to cease this brawl._

" _Why?" Ino stopped and held her head down to hide the fact that walking away was hurting her just as much. "I'd never take any opportunity away from you, Ino." A bitter smile stretched across the girl's hidden features._

" _You're right…" Ino turned halfway to show her facial features scowling at the pinkette, "… Not if I can help it." She continued on forward away from her (once) closest companion._

 _While she watched her closest and only friend walk away from her, Sakura was left too distraught to notice the mess that began to melt down her palms from the crushed cone._

 _*Flashback Ends*_

"Sakura! Hurry up! You don't want to be late!"

The yells of her mother reminded her that today was finally the day that she had worked endlessly to achieve: graduation. It would officially be her last time as an academy student and her first day of being a shinobi. Although it was the lowest ranked status as a ninja, being a genin would breed the lessons that would help her accomplish the goal that she had set after the day Ino had ceased their friendship. She returned her glazed gaze back to her mirror that showed the outfit that she deemed efficient enough to perform to her best standard. She donned a black sleeveless turtleneck that was slightly ruffled around the collar in order to avoid the feeling of being completely choked. Over it, she wore a mid-bicep sleeved cloud grey longline duster kimono. It trailed down reaching slightly above her knees. Eyes following downwards in what was reflected in the mirror, were cargo shorts reaching mid-thigh colored hunter green. Her right thigh and left calf were covered by mesh. The last thing was her black ninja sandals. The only accessories that she had were her fingerless gloves with brass knuckles capable of being infused with chakra to enhance her blows and her forehead protector which she tied across her forehead. Her hair was short-cut but tied into a spiky ponytail. All in all, she adored the look and felt that she was prepared to uphold the shared responsibility of her shinobi peers to protect their sacred village. She would be another dash of gasoline to enhance the flames of the Will of Fire. Deciding that she was done checking over herself, she grabbed her weapons pouch and placed it on the back of her waist. She left her room with one last look and went downstairs to eat breakfast. In the kitchen stood her mother whom was finishing up her bento box.

"All done. Here you go, Sakura. Now, you head out and make me proud. Don't forget the motto?"

"Kick ass and strip class?" Her mother bonked her on the head with a wooden spoon.

"Silly child. Do your best! Sheesh. Who the hell raised you to have such a smart mouth?" Sakura smiled at her mother's chidings. As soon as she noticed the rant coming to an end, Sakura snatched up her bento box, gave her mother a kiss, and went out the door excited for the day to come.

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"If your lazy ass does not get out of that damn bed in two minutes, I'm going to burn the damn mattress!"

A sigh escaped from the body that was ensnared by both fear and exhaustion from beneath silk stitched sheets. Brown eyes looked out of the window in the room to see the sun burning with an exuberance unquenched.

"What a drag." Shikamaru popped out of bed with his shinobi uniform on already prepared to escape from the tyranny that was… _her_.

"Not only will that bed be incinerated, but you along with it if I scream one more – oh, honey, you're awake." Yoshino Nara, a woman whose moods shifted faster than the direction of blades of grass caressed by the wind. Also known as –

"Yeah, mom." The mother of the to-be shinobi, Shikamaru Nara.

"I'm shocked to see that not only are you up, but you're already dressed."

"I woke up some time ago and decided I might as well prepare myself ahead of time. Might as well get there early so I can get some sleep in before hearing who I'm teamed with." Yoshino chuckled at her son's agitation.

"Smart idea. I hadn't considered thinking such a task would be too tedious for you to do. Well, except for that last part. Haha!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." _It was only so I could I avoid those banshee hollers you label as a morning call._ Grabbing his weapons pouch, he heard an unsettling crack as the hinges of his door fought to stay in place against the enraged tugs of his then furious mother.

 _What the hell did I do?! Oh man. This is bad._ "Banshee hollers?!" _Oh crap. Guess that thought slipped out._ He ran out the window and continued running as his mother's voiced echoed. "You're dead when you get back to this house! Do you hear me, Shikamaru Nara?! Dead!"

When he got far enough, he let out a breath of relief.

 _Poor dad._ _ **He's**_ _gonna be the one getting berated instead of me._ Putting his hands behind his head, the lazy ninja took to his path towards the academy to get news of who his teammates would be.

 _Troublesome._

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"Alright, everyone. Settle down if you'd please." The class being talked was filled with excitement, anxiety, and anticipation. The teams would be assigned and in just an hour after their lunch breaks, they would be introduced to the leaders of their quadrants. However, with all of that being said, most of the class were too busy moving their gums to notice the budding anger on Iruka's face. The vein on his forehead bulged out and his patience had wavered thin. "Either all of you are going to shut the hell up or I swear I will revoke you all of your headbands!" Everyone sat down with their lips tightly sealed after the angered threat. "Good. Now, before I start announcing the teams, I'd just like to once again congratulate you guys. I hope to see your faces stand in line with those willing to risk their lives every day for the safety and security of the Village Hidden in the Leaves!" Some of the students smiled, while others cheered (or yelled, in Naruto's case). Faces beamed with pride and contempt at reaching this point. None knowing of what the future would entail past this point. "Now, let's begin. Starting off with Team 1!"

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In the back of the classroom, near the window sat two people with an empty chair in between them. Shikamaru and Sakura never necessarily disliked each other yet they never really interacted to begin with. Shikamaru preferred fading in the background and absolving himself from being acknowledged for most of his years in the academy. Other than incidents involving pranks with other boys in the glass, he generally kept out of sight and hopefully, out of mind. Juxtaposed to Sakura who made it well known that she was widely intelligent as well as skilled. Although she lacked the abilities of those whose clans possessed either kekkei genkai, she ensured that her success fell upon pure effort. She pushed herself, whether it be in textbook knowledge or ninjutsu and ensured a place as one of the brightest, if not the brightest, in the class. Returning to the present moment, Shikamaru was observing the sky from his posture, head leaning into his hand with the elbow resting on the desk. A chair space across from him was Sakura with her arms crossed, letting one of her fingers twirl her left bang in circular motions. Both obviously had things in their mind yet refrained from speaking them out loud. That is until Sakura's curiosity got the best of her.

"Which two people do you think you're likely to be paired with?" It was said out loud but Shikamaru knew the question was directed at him. He pondered the question yet showed no signs of even hearing it. Before she could ask it again, he turned towards her with a somewhat puzzled face.

"The only people I could come up with that are the most likely choices are Ino and Choji. That's not even based on our skillsets either. Our families have coincided with one another on the battlefield for as long as the village has been what it is. I don't necessarily find it to be a bad idea. But I doubt that the village would start thinking past old dynamics that seemingly work well."

"I was gonna say why not settle for what works well but I get what you're saying. Why just settle for satisfactory quadrants when we can mix up different shinobi possessing different talents in order to orchestrate what could be a force none would reckon with? I'm not surprised that you of all people would think that through." Shikamaru was taken aback with her response.

"Me of all people? What do you mean by that?"

A smirk bloomed on Sakura's face. "Regardless of how high or low your grades are, I'm not exactly one to associate a piece of paper with the mechanisms of how a person's mind works." Sakura turned to him with a smirk still perched on her lips and her eyes glistening with mirth. "Don't observe the word for you'll be misled by all you've learned. It's a little tacky philosophy but it helps me see what many don't care to show."

Shikamaru steeled his eyes before responding. "What is it exactly that I'm afraid to show?"

"Apparently, the thing you're showing right now: the need to know and the drive to knowing it." Shocked could not capture the description of Shikamaru's emotional reaction to what he had just heard.

 _She's not one to play with._ Shikamaru couldn't help the thought that this was someone past being a mere observer. This was a full-fledged kunoichi in front of him. Not one of his classmates who have yet to enter the field of battle but a shinobi. On one hand, he was taken off guard and that was a frightening feeling for someone like Shikamaru. On the other hand, he was intrigued by this discovery.

"Hmph. You must play a mean game of shogi I bet." Sakura laughed at Shikamaru's response to her analysis of his character.

"I don't even know what shogi is." Before Shikamaru could respond, something told him to shut up and listen for a second.

"Shikamaru! Shut up and listen!"

Oh. Make that someone. His eyes turned to the front of the classroom at Iruka sensei fuming.

"Sorry Iruka sensei." Sakura chuckled aside from him at being the only one of the two of them caught.

"Anyways, Team 10: Shikamaru Nara, Shino Aburame", Shikamaru turned his head to look at the student called out, "and Sakura Haruno." Ino-Shika-Cho was no longer at that moment. But Shikamaru saw what the Lord Hokage spoke of that morning to his father. This was the outcome of the need for change. This was the opportunity for a better future and an improved Village Hidden in the Leaves. This was where the spark of the Will of Fire began.

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 _I hope you guys like it. I decided not to tell you guys the sensei yet because I am still debating. The pairings of the other rookie nine will be announced as well. I have already chosen them. I'd like to update this story every three to four weeks if possible. No promises though! Haha!_


	2. Rookie Nine Formation

_Disclaimer:_

 _I do not own Naruto nor the characters mentioned in the story. No matter how much I may love them. Lol_

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 _ **II.**_

 _ **Rookie Nine Formation**_

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In one of the classrooms in the academy were 3 figures. On one desk sat two. With a young boy whose hair had hues of navy blue when the light would capture it just right. While his arms were folded in front of him, the girl beside him had looped her arms around his right bicep much to his chagrin. Her head nestled itself into his forearm and her blonde locks caressed both of their backs.

"Haha! This has to be my lucky day! I woke up this morning hoping for it! But I actually can't believe it! I'm excited! Aren't you, Sasuke?!" The incessant screams of excitement from none other than the mouth of Ino Yamanaka. Ever since Iruka sensei announced to the class that she was on a squad with the one and only Sasuke Uchiha, Ino couldn't keep her jaw locked in place. Words flew out faster than any jonin could and it was getting on the last nerve of their fellow teammate who sat quietly on the floor near the chalkboard in front of them.

"Man… Are you ever gonna shut up, Ino? You're driving me insane already!" Kiba Inuzaka was not well known for his patience. A bark came out from underneath the hooded figures jacket and the head of a beige puppy peeked out. It was his companion, Akamaru, and when Ino saw the dog, she got a flashback of when she had once been playing in the flower fields. While plucking some of the petals off of a rose with Sasuke in mind after being individually torn off, she felt a wet gently pour onto her leg. As soon as she had looked down at Akamaru's self-satisfied appearance, she attempted to strangle him to no avail. He ran from her and back to Kiba who earned a slap that he could still feel to today. Returning back to the present, she glared resentfully at the creature.

"You've still got that filthy mutt? Humph. Shouldn't be surprised. Dogs do stay in packs after all." A growl came from the man and beast at Ino's comment. Before they could get an insult out on how desperate she stunk, Sasuke, who remained silent for the entire time that they were there, lost his patience.

"Would you two just shut it?" They both looked at him yet it appeared that the two didn't process his statement.

"That's right, Sasuke! Kiba just needs to shut it!"

"He said the two of us, you stupid blonde!" Kiba had his fest clenched and his patience with the girl was wearing thinner than her chances with Sasuke. Ino, obviously taken aback by his comeback, retorted with her owns. The two continued arguing and Sasuke kept mute after saying what he had said. He thought they were both stupid. The scene was what their sensei had walked into much to their disappointment. The presence of the jonin alone didn't cease the banter nor the look of agitation that was eating away at Sasuke's face.

"Well… this is… unfortunate."

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In another classroom were three other students. One girl sat in her seat with her head held down not looking at anything other than her pointer fingers gently circling one another. On the desk where she was seated, two boys sat with one larger than most shoveling the chips from his bag down his throat as if they were going to leave his hands in the next few seconds. Which they did but only in exchange for a new bag. Beside him sat a boy wearing an orange jumpsuit rubbing his stomach slowly as if to ease the pain.

"Who knew expired milk was so deadly? I swear I'm going to read the dates after this. Feels like a shuriken is spinning in there." The muttering came from the knuckleheaded jester, Naruto Uzumaki. His quiet complaints were all of a sudden halted as his hungry teammate, Choji Akimichi, opened up another bag. The scent of it wafted into his nose and Naruto's face went sour.

"Choji… What the hell are you eating right now?" Vomit came slightly against his throat when he saw the treat thrusted into his face.

"It's a milk flavored milk chocolate bar. Smells more like milk then chocolate though. What do you think?" Putting it directly under Naruto's nose was a fatal decision for everyone in the room. Disgusted at the smell, Naruto smacked the bar out of Choji's hand and it flew right out of an open window. Hinata Hyuga, lifted her up terrified for her and Naruto's safety. Everyone in Konoha knew that the worst thing you could get involved in (after a fight with the Hokage himself, of course) was anything that had to do with a hungry Akimichi. Hinata can remember her father warning of the treacherous beasts as he had deemed them. Being Choji's classmate since they were kids, Hinata and Naruto knew of the consequences they were likely to face.

"Ch-Choji. Please, d-don't be angry. Na-Naruto only did it by a-accident. Isn't that r-r-right, Na-Naruto?" Hinata turned her eyes pleadingly towards Naruto's somewhat frightened. He looked at her and immediately looked back at the ominous sphere surrounding Choji like an orb.

"Ughhh- Yeah! It wasn't on purpose, buddy! You see, this morning I had some really bad milk. I'm still having cramps like I was on my perio-"

"That was my last snack…" Hinata and Naruto paled at what Choji had just uttered. Due to his nervous state, Naruto's brain wasn't fast enough to catch up with his tongue.

"Ehehe! It's not like you needed anymore. You're already fat-mmph!" Hinata's hand didn't cover Naruto's mouth fast enough. Feeling his lips brush against her hand only made Hinata blush. If it would've been any other time besides at that very moment, she would have fallen into a comatose state right there at that very spot. If it wasn't for the leaking anger pouring out of the larger boy behind them. All of a sudden, a growl was heard and Choji's hands weaved into a handsign.

"Expansion Jutsu!" The boy all of a sudden puffed up much to Naruto's and Hinata's worst fears. "Ninja Art: Human Boulder!"

As their sensei reached for the door handle, Hinata and Naruto crashed into them in their haste to run out from the gigantic human pinball coming their way.

"Why the hell did I drink that milk?!" Naruto screamed as the figure approached him, Hinata, and their sensei whilst in a heap on the floor.

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The scene outside that afternoon in the village was a common scene. Bustling streets filled with vendors selling various goods from and outside the fire nation's sources to the consumeristic attitude of the villagers. The sun bathed their skin and the wind caressed their scalps. All in all, it was a regular day and Sakura soaked it up from her seat on the benches near the border of the village. Feeling her appetite steadily increasing, she decided to open the bento box her mother had given her this morning and dig in. A few bites into her meal, she started to notice something was a little strange. The sensation of being watched was discomforting to most. But Sakura continued eating her lunch even after the feeling had left. Before she could unwind from her somewhat startled state of mind, a voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"There seems to be a problem." Sakura looked up to see her reflection in the black shades worn by someone who she believed to be mute.

"Shino. How long have you been standing there for?" Her face scrunched up and she looked around her. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The trees swayed gently from the breeze caressing them. Eyes searched past them to find nothing that could have been the reason for why she had felt as uncomfortable as she did. She looked back up, eye to sunshades, as her teammate stared dared down at her. She gave a soft smile as a means to ease her new comrade's concern. "Must have been my imagination playing tricks on me. Please, sit with me."

Shino nodded his head in affirmation and sat on the other side of the bench from Sakura. Both enjoyed the gentle shoves of the breeze and the sound of children nearby in a playground reveling in their youth. The silence was interrupted surprisingly when the Aburame spoke up.

"How do you think our team came about being made?" Sakura had to agree that she had been contemplating the same thing. Not to say that Shino nor Shikamaru were inadequate shinobi (although, the latter liked to play the part). It was just that apart from their intelligence, their individual skills wouldn't necessarily play well with one another's. Sakura was above average in every region, save for her taijutsu. Same with Shino and with Shikamaru's lack of participation, she had no clue of how far his skills varied beyond hidden intellect.

"If I'm being honest, I haven't really pieced things together as much as I would have liked to say. Our skills are great as individuals. But as a team, there's the matter on how well they conflict or unite when in the field." Shino stared at her face that reflected the array of questions in her mind. "Maybe our sensei will be the key in all of this. Who knows, right?"

"Hn." Shino stood up from the bench and headed back to the village. "See you at the meeting spot."

Sakura raised her hand to salute his exit. Now, if she could only find out who or what exactly was watching her just moments ago.

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The clock hands evaded the reverberating silence between the three shinobi to be sitting in different positions and places within the classroom. Sakura, Shino and Shikamaru sat contemplating various questions. How much time until their sensei came, what it would be like to work with the other two on their team, would they even like the other two on the team, an endless stream of questions and all they wanted to do was to know exactly what the answers were.

A sigh escaped from Shikamaru whom grew tired of his own ponderings. "Alright, I'm starting to get a little impatient here. Where the hell is this guy?"

Emerald eyes looked up from the shuriken she was spinning in her hand at her assigned comrade. "Shikamaru, it's been fourty-five minutes. Who knows? He might be busy filing some paperwork?" Sakura smiled before her face turned somewhat sour. "And why does it have to be a guy? It could easily be a badass, powerful kunoichi." Before Shikamaru could respond, he was interrupted by Shino.

"Whoever it is, they better be suitable for the job." Sakura and Shikamaru agreed at the statement. "But I might be agreeing with Shikamaru on this one. Why? Most kunoichi either retire to start a family or stick to smaller ranks such as genin or chunin in order to stay near Konoha."

Sakura frowned at that. She found it quite irritating discovering that piece of information at the time in her academy. Mainly because with that info, further came the discovery that there was no kunoichi other than Lady Tsunade to be a role model for her. Sakura always loved being around stronger girls or women. It's why she idolized and mirrored her own confidence to be what Ino's was during their childhood. It pushed her to solidify her stance against the bullies that taunted her for her large forehead. She's since embraced her so called flaw and is glad that the symbol of Konoha stands proudly atop of it.

Witnessing the lack of female shinobi to idolize, Sakura pushed herself into her training in order to be the pinnacle of what it means to not only be a kunoichi, but a shinobi. If she could in some ways be what Ino was for her in their childhood, to the future generation of ninja, she'd know deep in her heart that she had done all she could and more for the village.

All of a sudden, the door knob began to turn and three pairs of eyes swiveled to the door that was opening. A gasp came from one of them.

"I know you. You're-"

"Haha. The past is always repeating itself. Nice to see you again, Sakura." A smirk met the gaze of the young girl who was suddenly taken aback.

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 _Small feet pattered against the floor of what was an odd day for the Village Hidden in the Leaves: a snow day. The winds carried a chill that brought about tears, bodily shivers, and teeth clenching the insides of some of the resident's cheeks. The sky was a dull shade of grey that rained small white pellets that laid gently on the surface on whatever they fell on. From the trees, to the roofs, even on the most delicate eyelashes, they laid themselves. If only the owner of the small feet could enjoy the idyllic scenery surrounding her. Unfortunately, she was at a loss for words during that moment._

" _Hey, billboard brow! Come on! We just want to play." The boys chasing after the young girl began laughing at the comment and began voicing their own taunts one at a time._

" _That can't really be your natural hair color, is it?"_

" _We ain't gonna hurt ya, kid! Maybe. But not too badly!"_

" _Hehehe. You aren't going to get that far with all that weight on your head!"_

 _A young Sakura, around five years old, ran faster than she ever thought possible of herself. But that didn't make the sound of those chasing behind her any more distant than she would have hoped them to be. Unfortunately, her attempts at escape were stopped when a vine buried beneath the snow caught the tip of her boot. She fell face first into the rug of ice at her feet and tried to pull herself up in time to keep running. Somebody stepped on her back to stop that from happening however._

" _Dumb bitch! How the hell did a little girl like you run faster than us?" The boy talking was breathless and so were the others surrounding her. Sakura knew that for her age, she had a surprisingly large amount of stamina. Something she wished to use to her advantage if not for the boot pressing down on her spine._

" _Please, let me go!" She pleaded, trying to subdue the urge to cry lest they enjoy her misery more._

" _We will. After we do one thing." A bookbag slammed near her face and Sakura looked as the hand of one of the boys disappeared inside of it. She couldn't see any of their faces from her position on the floor in the snow, which made any chance of reporting them or telling her parents what was done and who had done it thinned. She froze when she saw her eyes mirroring the sleek silver of a pair of scissors. Terror raced through her body and Sakura's lip began to quiver._

" _No… Leave me alone No!" She tried to push herself up by her hands but one of the boys pressed their snow boots on the back of one. The pain was immediate which caused Sakura to yell out. "Help me!"_

" _Shut the hell up! We're just going to give you a good ol' haircut." She heard the playful snips of the scissors and the boys laughing above her. The tears spilled out from her fearing that they may just decide her hair not enough and think of worse to cut._

" _Hey! Get the hell away from her this second!" The laughter stopped and the boys removed their feet from Sakura's hand and spine._

" _Oh crap! An adult! Let's get the hell out of here." Sakura heard and saw the feet leaving from her frozen spot on the frozen ground. She kept her position on the snow, fearful that the intervention was just a mistake or a means to get her hopes up. Terrified, she did not comprehend the shinobi sandals of the person walking towards her._

" _I think you can stand now, little lady. Those brats are going to be handled by some teammates of mines. Hehe." Sakura lifted her head to gaze at her savior. There stood a shinobi, whose leaf headband stood out to her before she could comprehend the features that headband sat atop of. She finally pulled herself together and stood with admiration lightly coating her irises. At a loss for words, the figure chuckled at the bewildered child. "No thanks are necessary. I'll handle those big 'ol bullies for you. What's your name by the way?"_

" _Uh… Sa-Sakura…" Sakura's stutter slithered its way into her response and she could not help but to be irritated at that. Here was a shinobi, a person who had helped her from the dilemma that almost went further than it had, and she could not open up her damn mouth to utter just how grateful she is. "Th-thank you s-so much for being here. Thank you." Her voice became more certain as the statement continued. The figure looked down at the girl and gave her a gentle smirk._

" _Like I said, no thanks are necessary. Now, why don't you head on home, Sakura?" The stranger patted Sakura's head and before she could pout at feeling like a dog, she was shooed away. A couple of steps were taken before she realized that she forgot something._

" _I didn't ask. What was your-", she turned and saw no one in sight. Too tired of the events of today, Sakura went home feeling appreciative of the intervention more than she could put into words. If she ever encountered the stranger in the future, she'd remember to ask the question she was dying to know._

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"Wha-What's your name?" Sakura asked before she could even comprehend the sight in front of her. The figure laughed slightly at the girl's brashness.

"Let's put that off after I get to hear from you and your teammates, Sakura. Before we do, I'd just like to say that I'm sorry for being so late. A black cat walked by me on my way here and I had to take another route." A single eye grinned at the disbelief from the three young shinobi who would be led by him: Kakashi Hatake.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

 _HELLO EVERYONE! I just wanted to say that I am so glad that this fanfic is being received so well with just the first chapter alone. Every follow, favorite, and review makes me so grateful beyond relief. Thank you guys so much for the love. Not fan love, but the support of my fellow peers. I know it's been months since I have updated. But I just had to kick the ass of this semester that passed before it kicked mines. Anyways, as you guys can see, Kakashi is the leader of the group. I originally contemplated Asuma for his deep connection with Shikamaru. But I wanted to put focus on each individual on the team. Who would help Shikamaru, Sakura, and Shino? Now, I know Kakashi has not been very beneficial to Sakura's growth in the canon. But he had to focus on satiating the egotisms shared by Sasuke and Naruto with their overbearing competitiveness against one another, which left Sakura isolated from gaining his full time and attention. It also left Sakura, whose self-esteem is already somewhat low, to go lower when outshined by her two teammates. I won't say much further. But I hope you understand my position._

 _P.S. – The masters of the other teams will not be revealed as bluntly. There will be hints that come along in later chapters in the near future. Later!_


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